I’d give this more than 5 stars if I could. Wonderful use of the heroine masquerading as a man. Wonderful use of the fairy godmother’s spell. Good characterization and believable mystery and romantic development. Can’t wait for the rest of the series. ( )

Charlotte Appleby is totally surprised to find on her 25th birthday that she has been granted a wish from her Faerie godmother - but can she choose wisely.
Given her current situation she becomes a man, and applies and is given the position of secretary to Lord Cosgrove. Unfortunately someone is trying to destroy Cosgrove's reputation and kill him. Can they solve the mystery of who and why.
Really enjoying this series though I have not read them in the right order. The writing style is very easy and enjoyable to read and I like the characters. ( )

Book source ~ NetGalley

Charlotte Appleby is living a miserable life with her aunt and uncle. Sure she has a roof over her head and food to eat, but they treat her like crap. So when a Faerie shows up in her room on her 25th birthday and says she has to bestow a gift on her, what’s a woman to do? Pick one and get the hell out of Dodge, that’s what. Charlotte chooses the gift of metamorphosis or shape-changing. The best part is: it’s not just shape-changing, it’s life-changing for Charlotte.

This is one of those books that will grab your fancy and not let go until the end. Charlotte has to pick a gift and the Faerie bestowing it is not like the fairy godmother in Cinderella. She’s like the ones in Grimm Fairy Tales, she may have to bestow a gift, but she’s going to be cruel if she can get away with it. Charlotte is no dummy though and asks questions and carefully weighs her options before choosing her gift.

The year is 1805 and Charlotte’s options are limited. So she decides to shift into a man and apply as a secretary to a Lord from an ad she sees in the paper. She may be a poor relation now, but at one time her mother and father made sure their daughter had a well-rounded education. She’s confident she can do the job. She’s not so sure about being a man. Luckily, Lord Cosgrove takes a chance and hires her, uh, him, uh, Charlotte who is now Christopher Albin. Lord Cosgrove is having some difficulties that a mere secretary would have a hard time helping him to investigate. But Charlotte is in a unique position. She can change into any person or animal and sneak into places neither one could go. The plot is twisty, the characters are wonderful, and Charlotte’s adventures into shape-shifting are fun to witness. Add some romance to the mix (it’s complicated) and it’s the perfect storm. I had a hard time putting this book down. I couldn’t wait to see what was on the next page. Who was the one causing Cosgrove all the trouble? When would he find out about her shape shifting? What would happen when he did? The suspense builds at a steady pace until the big finale. Wonderful! ( )

I liked the hero and the heroine but the paranormal aspect of shapeshifting kept them from building a romantic relationship together. I know they spend time together but hero doesn't know it's her and they never bond that way.
The trying to murder mystery was loose end, red-herring, and fractured for me; didn't flow or provide entertainment for me to follow along with.
I may be too square for this story, lol. Like I said in a update, there was more intimacy between the heroine and her "pego" for most of the story than between her and the hero. I'd be interested in reading this author if she didn't include paranormal elements because I liked the hero and heroine's character. ( )

On the night that Charlotte Appleby turns 25, a faerie appears to grant her one wish, as has happened to all the women in her family. The history cause of this is never explained, perhaps in a future book? f

She decides on the power to change her form, in order to appear as a man and to be able to work to support herself. Being an orphan, she is dependent on her relatives, who reluctantly take her in, and then regulate her to the role of Regency Charity Girl. Detesting her dependence, she naively chooses to appear as a man without realizing all of the complications that go along with that.

She obtains work as a secretary, develops feelings for her employer, and becomes embroiled in an exciting mystery,

Great premise, and a featuring a very goodhearted heroine. The story was a blend of mystery, romance and a bit of fantasy. Actually, the only part that was fantasy was the faerie stuck in the beginning. There were no further mentions of why her family was gifted with wishes, or where the faerie came from or what else faeries did in regency England. I did want to know!

I found the biggest let-down to be the hero's reaction when he discovered that the person he loved had changed into a man. True, it is disconcerting to learn that someone he grew to know as a man is not truly who they portray themselves are, and I can understand feeling betrayed because of that deception. Yet the hero focused on the fact that the man he knew was actually the same person as the the women he had been intimate with.

All of the misunderstandings and fear of being honest that ping pong between the hero and heroine make for a slightly annoying read, but having to balance that against the interesting premise and the slight fantasy flavor, I would rate this 3 stars.

**eARC Netgalley** ( )